Coffee Pot Rapids
Photo: James N Perdue, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- 4.3 mi
- round trip
- 95 ft
- climb
- 6,446 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- May–Sep
- best months
Is Coffee Pot Rapids open right now?
No closures listed
The Forest Service lists no closures for Caribou-Targhee National Forest.
As of · Source: USFS · Caribou-Targhee National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Coffee Pot Rapids is a moderate hike in Idaho's Caribou-Targhee National Forest, within the Ashton/Island Park Ranger District. The trail is a 4.3-mile out-and-back that gains about 95 feet, with the high point around 6,446 feet and the low point near 6,370 feet. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical July and August highs reach about 77°F with lows near 40°F, based on averages from a nearby weather station in Island Park. That station sits a few hundred feet lower than the trail's high point, so temperatures on the ridge run a little cooler. The trail is open from June 15 through October 31. Bikes and horses are both allowed on the natural-surface route, and the trail is not accessible. The Upper Coffee Pot campground sits just 0.1 mile away, and Flat Rock Campground is about 1.5 miles off. Ponds Trail and Shotgun Trail are both within about 2.5 miles.
Best time to go · May–Sep
Best time to visit Coffee Pot Rapids
Best months: May–September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
27° / 6°
Feb
30° / 7°
Mar
39° / 14°
Apr
47° / 23°
May
59° / 32°
Jun
67° / 38°
Jul
77° / 43°
Aug
77° / 40°
Sep
68° / 32°
Oct
51° / 24°
Nov
36° / 14°
Dec
25° / 6°
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Island Park, ID, 4.9 mi away at 6,290 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive
Photo: Jeremiah Ro, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Buffalo River Trail
~8 min drive
2.49-mile out-and-back trail on Buffalo River in Idaho
Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Box Canyon
~9 min drive
5.57-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho's Box Canyon with 43 ft of elevation gain.
HIKE
Targhee Creek
~22 min drive
12.20-mile out-and-back trail on Targhee Creek in Idaho with 2,081 ft of gain.
Photo: Jeremiah Ro, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)PONDS TRAIL C
~8 min drive
1.9-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 47 ft elevation gain.
HIKE
LAST CHANCE TRAIL
~21 min drive
8.38-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 343 ft elevation gain and loss.
HIKE
MOSQUITO CUTOFF (SNOWMO)
~23 min drive
10.82-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 1,392 ft elevation gain.
Photo: James N Perdue, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Big Springs Interpretive Trail
~9 min drive
1.26-mile out-and-back hike to Big Springs in Idaho.
HIKE
East Fork Denny Creek
~25 min drive
3.04-mile out-and-back trail on East Fork Denny Creek in Montana with 708 ft gain.
HIKE
Dry Fork
~23 min drive
13.94-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 2,334 ft gain.
Photo: Kathleen Pilley, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)East Gate Trail
~18 min drive
2.14-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 27 ft elevation gain and loss.
Also worth it near here
